Comparison

AD vs M8 Music Tracker

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

AD

This app emulates a classic 1983 micro synthesizer with modern enhancements like MPE and eight-voice polyphony. It offers a rich sound engine with multiple oscillators, filters, and a comprehensive drive section for unique sonic textures. Enjoy extensive modulation options and a built-in keyboard for immediate creativity.

Highlights
  • Eight-voice polyphony
  • MPE support
  • Classic four-pole lowpass filter
  • Comprehensive drive section
  • AUv3 and standalone operation
  • Preset manager with favorites
  • Built-in chicklet keyboard
Features
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We rebuilt the legendary micro composer of 1983, then gave it everything the original owners wished for: eight voices, MPE, a sequencer worthy of the name, and a couple of new dirty tricks. The voice is the one you know: a single fat oscillator with sawtooth and pulse (manual, LFO, or envelope PWM), a three-mode sub oscillator, and a noise source, mixed and driven into a classic four-pole lowpass filter. One snappy ADSR, switchable env/gate VCA, and an LFO with triangle, square, stepped random, and noise shapes, complete with onset delay, tempo sync, and retrigger. Portamento with the proper on/auto/off modes, and gate, gate+trig, and LFO trigger modes, exactly like the hardware. And the a sequencer: eight patterns of up to 64 steps, drawn right on the panel, with accent, slide, and octave per step, follow actions and repeats, swing, and tools to randomize in a key and scale, mutate, copy, and rotate. Play a pattern from a held key, transpose it from the keyboard, lock it while you browse presets, and run it from its own clock, the host transport, or an Ableton Link session in the standalone. Sequences save with your presets. • Eight-voice polyphony, or the original mono behavior with the flip of a switch • MPE support with per-note pitch bend and pressure, four aftertouch destinations (VCO mod, VCF mod, filter freq, LFO rate), and adjustable pressure smoothing • MTS-ESP microtonal tuning, retuned continuously while notes sound • SPREAD for stereo voice panning, and AGE, which drifts each voice like forty-year-old components • A full drive section: pre-filter saturation, filter drive, post-VCA distortion, and a tilt EQ • Velocity to filter and amp • A chicklet keyboard with latch and octave shift, playable right on the panel • Full preset manager with favorites and a factory bank • Five faceplate colors, including one for console cowboys • AUv3 and standalone, with an interface that fills whatever window your host hands it AD-202 works everywhere iOS makes noise: AUM, apeMatrix, Logic Pro, GarageBand, Cubasis, and any other AUv3 host, plus a standalone app with its own audio and MIDI settings, Ableton Link, and background audio. No subscriptions. No accounts. No nonsense. Buy it once, own it forever.

About

M8 Music Tracker

Create and arrange music with a portable eight-track tracker, synthesizer, and sequencer. Features multiple synth engines, sample playback, and advanced sequencing tools. Offers extensive connectivity and compatibility with hardware and other M8 users.

Highlights
  • Eight-track music tracker and sequencer
  • Multiple built-in synth engines (Wavsynth, Macrosynth, FMSynth, Hypersynth)
  • Sampler for playback and recording
  • Advanced sequencing with modulation, scales, and effects
  • MIDI instrument control
  • CoreMIDI and IAA integration
  • Portrait and landscape support
Currently charting
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M8 tracker is an eight-track music tracker, sequencer, and synthesizer from Dirtywave. Create and arrange music using a portable tracker workflow. Sequences are built from phrases and chains, which can be arranged independently across eight tracks with sequencing and modulation at each step. Instruments • Wavsynth - Chip synth inspired wavetable synth • Macrosynth - Macro oscillators of over 40 unique synthesis engines • FMSynth - Four-operator FM synthesis • Hypersynth - Six-note 13 oscillator swarm synth • Sampler - Sample playback and recording • MIDI instruments for controlling internal or external gear • Up to 128 instruments per song Sequencing • Eight independent monophonic tracks • Instrument tables for advanced modulation • Scales, grooves, probability, and comprehensive effect commands • Live performance and song-rendering tools Connectivity • CoreMIDI input and output • External computer keyboards and game controllers • Ableton Link support • AUv3 plugin version • Inter-App Audio (IAA) integration • Launchpad Pro MKIII support M8 supports portrait and landscape orientations on iPhone and iPad. Projects, instruments, samples, themes, and rendered audio are accessible through the Files app. Built-in contextual help explains every view with shortcuts. M8 for iOS provides the complete M8 workflow in a portable, touch-enabled interface. Songs and bundles are fully compatible with M8 hardware and can be transferred between devices and shared with other M8 users. Join the Dirtywave Discord community to share music, get help, and discuss M8.

Screenshots

AD4 screens
M8 Music Tracker4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: AD at $6.99 against M8 Music Tracker's $29.99. M8 Music Tracker's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 3 weeks) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

AD costs $6.99 and M8 Music Tracker $29.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

M8 Music Tracker holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: M8 Music Tracker has 107 ratings behind it against 14, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 86% of AD's written reviews are positive against 100% of M8 Music Tracker's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

AD ships an update every 3 weeks, M8 Music Tracker every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
AD versus M8 Music Tracker: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterADM8 Music Tracker
Price$6.99 — better$29.99
Rating4.7 (14 ratings)5.0 (107 ratings) — better
Positive reviews85.7% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings14107 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank—#27 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size74 MB235 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAudio Damage, Inc.Dirtywave

Customer experience

AD

All ratings12 ratings
Positive91.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative8.3%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive85.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative14.3%

M8 Music Tracker

All ratings97 ratings
Positive99.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative1.0%
Written reviews50 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

AD

No in-app purchases

None

M8 Music Tracker

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is AD free?
AD costs $6.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is M8 Music Tracker free?
M8 Music Tracker costs $29.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, AD or M8 Music Tracker?
M8 Music Tracker is rated higher. AD averages 4.7 out of 5 from 14 ratings, while M8 Music Tracker averages 5.0 from 107 ratings.
Do AD or M8 Music Tracker have ads?
Neither AD nor M8 Music Tracker shows ads.
Which is updated more often, AD or M8 Music Tracker?
AD ships an update every 3 weeks, and M8 Music Tracker every 4 days. Most recently, AD was updated on October 31, 2026 and M8 Music Tracker on November 2, 2026.

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